August052015

Roger Federer's final golden opportunity - ESPN

Peter Bodo, Tennis

ClosePeter Bodo has been covering tennis for over 35 years, mostly recently for ESPN. He is a former WTA Writer of the Year and the author of numerous books, including the classic The Courts of Babylon and the New York Times bestseller (with Pete Sampras), A Champion's Mind. His new book on the 1975 Wimbledon final between Arthur Ashe and Jimmy Connors will be out in June of 2015.

Roger Federer's long-standing decision to play full time on tour until at least the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro appears to be a signature combination of precise and sensible reasoning with dazzling ambition and breathtaking optimism.

After all, Federer was fast approaching 30 years of age when he first said he hoped to play a starring role in Rio. He had just won his 17th major at the 2012 Wimbledon championships, his first major in 2½ years. It was a time considered by many to be the twilight of his career, a glorious supernova after which Federer would gracefully fade. It would be the classy, Federer-esque thing to do. It was logical -- but not Rogical.

When he declared his intentions, some scratched their heads: "What, this guy wants to play full time for four more years?" Even some of his devout fans were skeptical he could last. After all, Federer will be deep into his 17th year on tour during the Brazil games. He could well arrive in Rio treading water somewhere deep in the rankings pool -- if he even lasted that long.

Roger Federer came up short against Andy Murray in 2012, settling for the silver medal. Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

It may turn out that way yet, but not based on the evidence at hand. Federer has cemented his position as No. 2 in the world. He's the recent Wimbledon finalist, where he joined Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and surprise semifinalist Richard Gasquet as the class of the field. Federer is healthy, fit, happy and ... playing the best tennis of his life.

And there's this: Federer still has some Olympic scores to settle. First on the list is adding the checkmark in the last remaining box on a great champion's to-do list: a singles gold medal.

Federer caught a nice break when the organizers of the Rio games decided to host the tennis event on hard courts rather than the most ubiquitous surface in Brazil, clay. Predictably, Rafael Nadal wasn't entirely pleased with this decision, given the overwhelming preference for clay in South America. He said at a media conference during the Rio ATP 500 (ironically, it's a clay-court event): "I am surprised that in a country which has clay specialists the Olympics are going to be played on hard court."

Terse enough?

Although Nadal advocates detected conspiracy on behalf of the hard-court maestro Federer, the larger issue is that the Olympic games will take place two weeks before the US Open. There seemed to be no reasonable choice but to host the games on the same surface that the players will find so soon thereafter at Flushing Meadows.

The surface may be a boon to Federer, but his own Olympics singles history will not necessarily be a confidence-booster.

Federer had just turned 19 in 2000 shortly before his first Olympics appearance at the Sydney games, but he already had a ranking of No. 32. Nevertheless, he lost the bronze-medal match to a player whose ranking was nearly double his own, France's No. 62, Arnaud DiPasquale. The winner did not go on to win 17 Grand Slam titles, but he's got some tale to tell his grandkids.

In Athens in 2004, Federer was the top seed and No. 1 in the world. He cruised past Nikolay Davydenko in the first round but was upset in the second round to a tall Czech ranked No. 79 in the world -- an up-and-coming youngster named Tomas Berdych. In 2008, in Beijing, Federer was again No. 1, but he was simply blasted off the court in the quarterfinals by seventh-ranked James Blake.

His consolation prize for what amounted to roughly a decade of frustrated Olympic ambitions? A doubles gold medal he earned in yoke with Stan Wawrinka seven years ago.

The most bitter pill yet was forced down Federer's throat in 2012 in London. Softened up by the stiff resistance Juan Martin del Potro had offered in the semifinals (Federer won it at great cost, 19-17 in the third), Federer was beaten in three tough sets by local hero Andy Murray, who until then was a chronic major final washout. The aftertaste of that loss was alleviated only by the fact that just weeks earlier, Federer had won Wimbledon on the same Centre Court at the All-England Club against Murray.

Still, Federer finally had a singles medal to go with his doubles gold.

Whatever else is in play a year from now in Rio, it's hard to imagine Federer will have any more chances at singles gold. He'll be dealing with more pressure than some of the other competitors in an event that already has many of the same anxiety-invoking elements as Davis Cup, the other high-profile international tennis competition.

Roger Federer has been going for gold since his first Olympic Games in 2000. Al Bello/Allsport/Getty Images

Much like Davis Cup, Olympic tennis is partly about striking a blow for national pride rather than mere personal accomplishment. The opportunity -- or burden -- affects people in different ways at different times. But one thing is obvious: Davis Cup and Olympic tennis results are often unpredictable. All bets are off when it comes to these non-tour events. These are the times when a journeyman who can't keep pace with the elites on a day-in, day-out basis gets his chance to strike a resounding blow -- one that can transform him overnight into a national hero.

Just ask Nicolas Massu, the Chilean whose career-high ranking was No. 9 but who won Olympic gold in singles in Athens in 2004.

When tennis first rejoined the five-ring family in 1988 (after a hiatus of more than 60 years), the organizers (the ITF, answering to the IOC) had one significant problem: Unlike, say, boxing or marathon running, tennis was dominated by a handful of countries, led by the U.S.

In order to ensure an adequately broad representation in the tennis draws, the organizers came up with a quota system, which is why the first few Olympic singles draws of 64 (no byes) contained so many unfamiliar names. The effect was somewhat surreal, but it was anxiety-inducing for established players. That contributed to the form-busting results.

The first two men's gold medalists were Miloslav Mecir of (then) Czechoslovakia in 1988 in Seoul, followed by Marc Rosset of Switzerland in Barcelona. Only Mecir would go on to play (and lose) in a Grand Slam final, and that was just once.

The beaten finalists? Mecir defeated Tim Mayotte of the USA. Rosset took out Jordi Arrese of Spain.

The global growth of the game and the concomitant decline of U.S. tennis, along with the fine-tuning of the qualification procedure and format (the best-of-five format was dropped after Barcelona), have helped make Olympic tennis a little more like a typical ATP Tour event. But the overarching vibe is different, and the impact is has on a player's ability to perform is hard to assess.

One thing is certain, though: Federer's decision to plug away through Rio isn't based merely on cold, hard ambition. As he said in a media conference as the London Olympics got underway in 2012:

The chance to play for Olympic gold again is "a dream come true, I would say, because I definitely get inspired by the 1992 victory by Marc Rosset. He won the Olympics. That was huge news in Switzerland. I definitely was inspired by that.

"So when I got to be part of the Sydney Olympics 12 years ago, I stayed in the village. I was there for over two weeks. I had the best time following sports, being there with the athletes, playing so well. I almost overachieved in that tournament."

"Almost" is the operative http://texastennisopen.com word there. For it was DiPasquale who walked away with an Olympic medal. Federer didn't exactly walk away empty-handed, though. Sydney is where he firmed up his relationship with the young Swiss WTA pro who would become his wife, Mirka Vavrinec.

Federer is still living that dream, the way he was still living it London. It goes on partly despite the fact that he has a gold medal now, as well as a silver. You might think that would be enough for one man, but he's still got his heart set on another gold, and this time the one in doubles won't do.

August042015

Police say at least 50 croc http://outback-crocodile-adventures.com heads, as well as potentially as several as 70, had actually been packed inside the freezer. At the very least 50 deteriorating crocodile heads have actually been located in an old fridge freezer discarded behind shops in a little Northern Territory town.

. Getting invested a great amount of your current time within the countryside involving NH exactly where he grew up, along with via his formal classroom as well as area education, he offers developed a keen eye for your all-natural world, reflecting itself within his present work.Goodnow is co­-chair in the annual North River Arts Association Festival of the Arts Photography Exhibit, the part of the particular NRAS Arts Committee, a new part of the actual Scituate Arts Association and a person in the actual Expert Photographers Association regarding Massachusetts.His perform has been selected directly into numerous juried shows and received first place inside the "Festival in the Arts" Photography Competition regarding 2012. His function in addition has been featured in promotional materials through the James Library in Norwell, your Boston Globe's South Shore guide as well as the Norwell Mariner.Goodnow has attended Maine Media Workshops and additional coursework and seminars by Franz Lanting, David Nightingale, Larry Hersberger and also Zach Arias.He frequently http://deborahhughesphotography.com donates his art in order to charitable organizations around the South Shore which includes the particular South Shore Conservatory, the James Library, the Norwell Women's Association, North River Neighborhood Church and the Friendship House.Guyer resides throughout Norwell, MA together using his wife and 2 teenage sons. Within addition, he's your recipient of your variety of some other awards. The reception, open to the public, is likely to be held about Monday, August 3 in 6 pm.

Guyer Goodnow's exhibit, "Perceiving Naturel - Interpretive Photographs involving Flowers along with Landscapes," opens in the Dolphin Gallery on Saturday, August 1. Your exhibit can be sponsored by the North River Arts Society.Goodnow is surely an emerging fine artwork photographer, focused totally on nature photography

August032015

After car hack, Internet of Things looks riskier - BetaBoston

Many individuals are installing Internet-connected thermostats, front doors that will can be unlocked from the thousand miles away, as well as security cameras that beam are living images into a homeowner's phone.

Hiawatha Bray can always be contacted in hiawatha.bray@globe.com. Just what we absolutely need to complete can be educate the particular developers as well as the users as for the prospective risks."

But it is unclear whether or perhaps not Xively works as advertised. the attacks threatened Microsoft's popularity and also its revenues.

Srinivasan said the actual low-cost chips used in many Internet associated with Items devices absence built-in security features, like hard-wired encryption, in which could reduce the risk of attack. Markey, Democrat involving Massachusetts, that might set ­data safety as well as privacy standards regarding just about all cars marketed within the United States.

"Cybersecurity is an absolute top priority pertaining to automakers," mentioned Wade Newton, the spokesman for that Alliance associated with Automobile Manufacturers, a new trade team representing your world's largest vehicle makers. General Motors stated it offers issued the fix that will solve your problem.

Last month's revelation that hackers could remotely seize power over over any million Chrysler automobiles offers delivered a stark warning that will life in an ultra-networked globe could potentially be very dangerous, indeed.

Something comparable happened along with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, that wasn't originally built using Internet the reassurance of mind. Almost all cars make use associated with a networking technology known as the "controller region network bus," or CAN bus, developed by the German auto parts maker Robert Bosch GmbH inside the 1980s. . . . "The CAN bus can be hopelessly insecure," Fisher said. Adhere To him in Twitter @GlobeTechLab. The Particular effort paid out off; while nevertheless imperfect, newer versions regarding Windows are generally far harder in order to crack.

Any of those gadgets, and many more, could potentially be ripe targets regarding online vandals or perhaps criminals.

For instance, "if you'll end up being able to reverse engineer a new parking meter, you can inject false data to ensure that everybody within the city believes which there aren't any parking areas available," Srinivasan said.

Boston along using other cities are usually installing networked parking meters that may direct drivers for you to unused parking spaces.

"[With] any of this stuff in the Internet regarding Things, your considerations are http://netgraf.org the same," stated Rob Sadowski, director involving technologies solutions from RSA, the actual digital security organization owned from the Hopkinton information storage giant EMC Corp. Inside addition, each instruction must include an encrypted digital signature to always be able to demonstrate it originated from an authorized source.

The subsequent week, personal computer security researcher Samy Kamkar revealed that he had hacked your OnStar communications system present in many General Motors cars. That was developed decades just before cars were connected to the World wide web along with lacks features to bar malware applications or perhaps reject commands coming from unauthorized intruders.

She favors legislation just lately introduced by simply US Senator Edward J. "These new devices have to possess a refreshing approach and a new method of considering security, along with that's the missing piece."

LogMeIn's World wide web of Items system, Xively, seeks to stop such attacks simply by ignoring just about all incoming messages. the alliance, he said, can be creating a fresh plan pertaining to sharing as well as analyzing info on digital security threats.

Sadowski said he believes which Web involving things developers would benefit from the same sort of crisis mentality. "I feel we do need a rallying cry just like that," he said. "How do I help make positive I'm your ­only 1 utilizing this? How do I am aware there aren't negative guys attacking it?"

Fisher said it will take a extended time and price millions in order to develop a lot more secure vehicle networking systems, and no business will do that unless its competitors perform the same.

The hacking in the Jeep has been unusually scary, however many other networked devices could be plagued by simply comparable vulnerabilities. Along With you will find many much more World wide web associated with Items systems in which are merely now getting widely deployed. Thus scalping strategies are only as secure since the software program running about them, along with illicit code injected simply by an intruder could cause severe problems.

But Kathleen Fisher, some type regarding computer science professor from Tufts University, warned that will automotive personal computer networks are usually inherently weak along with hard to secure. Louis. Instead, any Xively chip will get its instructions only through frequently checking a particular Internet address. "Many in the developers are likely pondering features first, safety second. From the particular flip with the 21st century, a series of World wide web malware applications such as SQL Slammer, Blaster, as well as Code Red infected countless Windows computers worldwide. Because a new reporter for that technologies publication Wired sat helpless in the driver's seat, Miller and also Valasek activated the actual windshield wipers, turned the radio along with air conditioning up total blast, along with disengaged the particular car's transmission to make the car undriveable -- all coming from Miller's basement, 10 miles away.

. Inside days, Chrysler's mother or father company, FCA US LLC, recalled 1.4 million vehicles that have been susceptible towards the identical type of World wide web attack.

"I think it can always be a seminal moment," mentioned Paddy Srinivasan, vice president in LogMeIn Inc., the Boston organization within the forefront regarding building the "Internet involving Things," the ongoing effort to be able to tie household appliances along with practically the rest for the Web. Through attaching a tiny Wi-Fi receiver to some vehicle, Kamkar could remotely learn the particular car's location, unlock its doors, or even start its engine. so in 2002, Microsoft halted just about all new development about Windows and spent 8 weeks fixing safety bugs and also training its software program engineers the approach to compose safer code. While using the hacked Jeep, it could try using some high-profile cyberattacks to disclose how vulnerable that they are.

At the finish associated with July, two network engineers, Charlie Miller along with Chris Valasek, employed an Internet-connected computer to take control of the Chrysler Jeep Cherokee driving a car down a highway throughout St

The Allure and Puzzle of the Back in Portrait Photography - TIME

Dressed in the gray plaid suit, he lies asleep with his arm as being a cushion.

Ye Ming, can become a author and also contributor for you to TIME LightBox. While that happens, even one in the most inconspicuous detail becomes worthy associated with observation inside deciphering identity, circumstance and also action.

"The architecture regarding the back will be phenomenally intriguing and beautiful," says Peter MacGill, the particular founder as well as president http://russellordphotography.com regarding Pace/MacGill Gallery as well as the show's principal curator. "You don't know if you're looking at Ghandi, or you're seeking at a 9-month old baby," MacGill says.

"The tilt in the neck, the particular model of the chin, the movement of the hair, and additionally the floating in the head in the landscape," as MacGill describes, are generally which tends for you to make it probably the particular most beautiful picture of your woman he provides at any kind of time seen. Yet, for others who aren't familiar with just about all the photograph, the lady will be very pedestrian. Simply By sharing such an emotive closeness by means of an anonymous subject, the actual photograph can be in a situation to transcend in to universal appeal.

Photographs like this provoke a desire to be able to seek answers to unanswerable questions, and any few images capture his or her subjects within the the majority of private moments, leaving the actual viewers unwilling for you to disrupt.. Gowin features photographed Edith, his wife and also productive partner, for a lot of years, yet this certain image involving her is mesmerizing. "It's filled up with life, full of tension; it's full of intrigue simply because you don't see the front."

Photographers possess extended been taught to approach their own topics from your front. With 1st sight it seems just amusing, but when stared longer, it deeply underscores your notion regarding bond as well as profound understanding.

This is actually especially the case inside David Goldblatt's photograph of your man in the Johannesburg park inside 1975. Comply With your ex about Twitter and also Instagram.

As a lot as the front can give away an individual's identity along with characteristics, a photo regarding one's back adds an element involving mystery through prompting much more questions than answers. the photographer's evocative distance and angle enhance your lone man's undisturbed solitude, and create a visual area by which the actual beholders can easily linger.

Many of the works, even as the observed turn their particular backs to the camera, also convey the profound tranquility and also intimacy, for example Emmet Gowin's photograph, Edith, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1967. However in the new exhibition at the Pace/MacGill Gallery in New York, each along with every portrait curiously has its own vantage point set via behind. and both large stains on the back regarding his suit are usually one with the most revealing, yet puzzling element of the man's character and situation. "You just sense something's heading on."

Although just about all photos made from this perspective bring a suggestion associated with mystery, the actual merely straightforwardness regarding others, like Nicolas Nixon's portrait regarding his son, Sam, Arles, 1997, reflect your striking sculptural great thing about a persons body; other people are delightful, such as Susan Paulsen's Katonah. The Actual camera is positioned closely at the actual rear of and also in a downward angle in order to Edith, delicately signaling a new relationship of deep believe in between the photographer as well as the subject.

Perhaps probably the particular most uncanny on this list of collection would end up being the nonhuman portraits. Within Peter Hujar's Goose along with Bent Neck, 1981, the bird's humanly posture plus a dark, staring eye resembles a individual staring into the camera. Then the actual quest begins: "Is this a man who's having a rest, is this some guy whose girlfriend is lower within the frame, can it be the homeless person?" MacGill asks. The man quietly sits next to some bright yellow house, his head down, again hunched, lost throughout their own deep, solitary contemplation. What it uncovers is truly a lengthy overlooked tradition of portraiture that flirts with the power of mystery and provokes concerns over an often-neglected feature: your back.

The exhibition, BACK, will be presently on view from Pace/MacGill Gallery until August 28.

August022015

Disco Dance Party planned as part of Prescott's downtown Summer Concert Series - Prescott Daily Courier

A DJ will play music in the era, he said, along along with a lighting technician will handle the particular special effects.

The area sponsors the particular annual Summer Concert Series from June through early September to offer entertainment for that community, and additionally to encourage individuals to spend a few time downtown. Friday in downtown Prescott.

To set the scene, Ted Leonard regarding Prescott Pro Audio says mirror balls, trusses, shifting lights, LED lights, and also haze is likely to be on hand.

"Everybody loved that music," Karcie said.

The DJ will just take songs requests in the audience, Karcie said, adding which winners of the dance along with costume contests will obtain gift certificates for you to neighborhood restaurants. Karcie says attendance at the different series events continues for you to be developing http://discobistroec4.co.uk each and every year.

She indicates that folks channel their inner "John Travoltas as well as Donna Summers" are available to the event dressed in garments in the disco era.

Prescott special Events Manager Becky Karcie stated she frequently will get ideas from your those who turn out for your city's summer-evening concerts. among them, the girl said, was a request for any night devoted to the tunes of the 1970s along with 1980s.

The Every Day Courier

PRESCOTT - complete together with mirror balls, foggers, and strobe lights, the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza will just take around the aura of a 1970s-era discotheque Friday night, July 31.. the event costs nothing to the public.

As any part of the city involving Prescott's ongoing Summer Concert Series, the inaugural Disco Dance Party is planned for 7 for you to 10 p.m